Due to a string of challenging races, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez has been urged by team manager Christian Horner to return to his “fantastic” form starting in early 2024.
Sergio Perez started the F1 season strong, consistently finishing in the top five and securing four podiums in the first six races. However, his performance has taken a nosedive from Imola to Barcelona, a period coinciding with his Red Bull contract extension. His recent finishes—P8, DNF, DNF, and P8—underscore his struggle, and his P8 in Barcelona’s qualifying, though his best Saturday performance lately, saw him start P11 due to a penalty.
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner acknowledged Perez’s struggles, emphasizing the need for him to be competitive: “We need Checo in the mix. If he’s on the back end of the top eight, you lose strategic options. Checo was fantastic in the first few races. We just need to get him back into that headspace.”
Horner highlighted Perez’s confidence-driven nature and expressed hope that his eighth-place finish in Barcelona, achieved on a three-stop strategy, would boost his morale. “He’s had a couple of difficult races, and things haven’t gone his way. Hopefully, he’ll take confidence from this race into the next couple of weekends, which are big for him.”
Despite watching teammate Max Verstappen win seven of the 10 races so far, with Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and Lando Norris claiming the other victories, Perez remains optimistic. Reflecting on the challenging Barcelona weekend, Perez said, “It’s been a good weekend in terms of learning and understanding, so hopefully we can come back stronger.”
Acknowledging the difficulties of overtaking and tire management at Barcelona, Perez added, “I’m pretty disappointed. But given where we started, it was pretty much the maximum we could do. We had to fight hard to get those points because the race wasn’t as straightforward as I hoped.”
Currently fifth in the drivers’ standings, Perez trails Verstappen by 118 points and is also behind Norris, Leclerc, and Sainz. As Red Bull feels the heat from Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, Perez’s ability to regain his early-season form is crucial for the team’s strategic flexibility and overall success.
